"Are you okay?" He asked her his eyes taking in her state, her downcast eyes met him and for a moment she wanted to cry. Her throat tightened as she faced him, he had exerted his rights but lost her love. It pained her, she had started accepting him, she had started depending on him, considering him as her family. Her only family, the day before she had dressed up for him, Meerab had decided to tear up the contract herself.
Only if Haya hadn't schemed, Meerab would have never witnessed this monstrous side of him.
"Meerab are you okay?" He asked her again coming closer to her, his steps made her stumble as her heart started beating loudly not because of sparks but panic. He was going to harm her, she clutched herself as she hid herself, "Please don't", she begged. He halted his eyes tearing up as he turned and left. Meerab stood there crying as the night repeated. As he had harshly picked her up and placed her on the bed, his legs in between hers as tears dropped, she was crying as he muffled her scream with a harsh kiss and then felt the barrier break. The pain was beyond physical, it was psychological and clawed her apart. Knowing the man who was her muhafiz (supposed to protect her), was doing so. He didn't stop and she passed out, a few minutes later she woke up again and realised he was still going, he didn't even consider her a human.
The reality, the night took a toll on her, Meerab went to the mirror and saw the marks on her body, picking up her phone she clicked the pictures. The sheet was changed but they lay in the laundry sheet, Meerab took it out and clicked the picture of the bloodstains.
She knew she had to be extremely vigilant, she gathered every proof and took pictures of the torn-apart contract. The shattered glass could prove he was violent and had no control over his rage. Meerab wanted to drag him to the court and not just him, but the entire family. Make them stand in the court, she realised 'khaandan ki izzat' was the most important thing for them.
Meerab was disoriented, her thoughts a mess as a silent scream left her mouth, as a stabbing pain started in her pelvic region. It was as if she was hallucinating, as if she was back to the moment, the pain was very much real and she fell on the ground clutching her lower abdomen. She gritted her teeth, trying to bask in the scream, it was frightening, and she felt the pain travel to her abdomen, then her chest as if crawling to her neck.
The pain in her pelvic region remained as she cried, her body trembled as she lay there. As she was losing consciousness her phone rang and she picked up as she called for help one last time.
"Please help me".
On the other end, the person panicked and called her name. But there was no response, Meerab woke up later to find herself on the bed. A family doctor by her side, the doctor eyed her with sympathy. But Meerab lay there knowing she wouldn't speak up, nobody would help her. The fear of Murtasim Khan had crumpled them, nothing mattered, everything was in their favour and the reality was twisted. Her reality would be covered up and gradually she would lose her voice too.
As the tears flowed from her eyes her adoptive mother Anila entered the room, the woman who raised her. They had stood by her side when Murtasim had kicked her out, "I shouldn't have listened to Maa Begum", Meerab cried hysterically.
"They... they never cared about me, Murtasim was having an affair with Haya. When I confronted him he... forced himself on me", she confessed breaking down as her mother clutched her, angry tears dropping from Anila's eyes as she found her daughter going over the edge.
"He hurt me, he never loved me", she whispered in her mother's ear as the woman clutched her to her chest. "Mera baccha", trying to calm down her frantic self.
As she remained in her arms, her father entered the room his eyes rimmed with tears, as he stared at the floor. He had failed her, Waqas Ahmed was tethering over the edge as he saw the strong girl he raised breaking down. He had seen their torture, Murtasim's anger and Meerab's hopelessness. In his heart he hoped, Meerab would change him. But the saying was true, "Dassna toh bitchoo ki fitrat mai hota hai".
He had handed over his daughter to a man with a harmful nature. Waqas should have predicted this, but Murtasim had him fooled.
"Baba I want to press charges", she said her eyes lost as she pleaded him, he could see her hanging by one last hope. If he broke the small thread keeping her together he knew she might end up doing something extremely crazy. So he nodded firmly, his anger boiling as he saw the dark circles under her eyes, realising how weak she had grown.
"I am sorry", he told her his shoulders shaking as he too teared up, "You are in this position because of me".
Meerab shook her head, "No Baba, you are my strength if you hadn't taken me in, maybe I would have accepted this abuse, I would have never dared to stand up against the Khan family. Look at Maryam, they had done the same to her, they had gotten rid of her. I hate this family... Baba please take me away".
Waqas couldn't help but listen to her every word, "Meerab I want you to treat me like your lawyer, tell me everything that happened before it".
The next morning they went to the hospital, Waqas lied to Maa Begum about her suffering from food poisoning. Murtasim had left for the village, and wasn't picking up anybody's call.
Meerab had never thought she would be going through this, in this position, she knew most of these rape kits were of no use. They were just proof that sex took place because normally the rapists would deny it. As the elderly woman laughed and proded her privates Meerab felt her hands shaking, the panic began once again. And it felt as if her head was being hammered by hundred needles.
The woman wasn't gentle as if she wanted Meerab to runaway, she held her legs and nonchalantly asked her, "Who was it?"
Meerab sucked in a breath and replied, "My husband", the woman made eye contact and she scrutinized her, "Why are you wasting our time?"
She asked, Meerab understood what she was trying to imply but still couldn't believe her words as she asked back, "What do you mean?"
The woman sighed and looked straight in her eyes, "This is not a rape".
